Method for transferring control of a conference call

ABSTRACT

A method for transferring control of an existing multi-participant conversation in which at least two communication terminals are connected to each other through a data connection to a conference control application can include the following steps: establishment of a virtual conference room that serves as an anchor point for the application and can be a virtual participant in the conference, switching of the conference room into the existing data connection and assignment of the master role to the conference room. A signal generated by the application can cause the switching of the conference room into the existing data connection and the assignment of the master role to the conference room.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/005,197, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/878,139, which is the United States nationalphase under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT/EP2012/001497, filed on Apr. 4, 2012.The entirety of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/878,139 isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

Embodiments relate to methods for transferring control of an existingmulti-participant conversation, in which at least two communicationterminals are connected to each other through a data connection, to aconference control application. Embodiments further pertain to acomputer program product for executing such a method.

Background of the Related Art

Current conference servers have the disadvantage that only individualparticipants, specifically the individual terminal of a participant inthe existing multi-participant conversation, can be connected in anapplication-controlled conference bridge, also called anapplication-controlled conference. The possibility of incorporating onlyone individual participant into an application-controlled conference isindependent of the selected conference type, such as an Ad-Hocconference, Meet-Me conference, or Permanent conference. In order to adda multi-participant conversation, hereinafter defined as a communicationconnection in which at least two communication terminals are exchangingdata with each other through a communication connection, into anapplication-controlled conference, the participants in the conferencewho wish to incorporate the multi-participant conversation into theirconference must end their existing multi-participant conversation andset up a new multi-participant conversation through the conferenceserver that includes the new participants to be added. This and otherdisadvantages of existing conferencing systems may be remedied byembodiments discussed herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

We provide embodiments to reduce the length of an interruption in amulti-participant conversation when control of the multi-participantconversation is transferred to a conference control application.

In particular, it should be a method for transferring control of anexisting multi-participant conversation to a conference controlapplication and a computer program product for executing such a method,with which it is possible to incorporate an existing system conferenceinto an application-controlled conference or convert the existing systemconference to the application-controlled conference, wherein the lengthof the interruption in the multi-participant conversation is reduced tothe point that the incorporation or conversion is almost or entirelyinterruption-free from the participants' perspectives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Unless specifically stated otherwise, the same reference numbers in thefigures denote the same components with the same meaning. The figuresshow:

FIG. 1a to FIG. 1d : each shows a schematic arrangement of logical unitsthat are applied to execute the method for transferring control of anexisting multi-participant conversation to a conference controlapplication in a first embodiment, in which a conference room isincorporated into a multi-participant conversation with twoparticipants,

FIGS. 2a to 2d : each shows a schematic arrangement of logical unitsthat are applied to execute the method for transferring control of anexisting multi-participant conversation to a conference controlapplication in a second embodiment, in which a conference room in amulti-participant conversation with three participants is transferred tothe master of the existing multi-participant conversation and thenswitched into the existing data connection,

FIGS. 3a to 3c : each shows a schematic arrangement of logical unitsthat are applied to execute the method for transferring control of anexisting multi-participant conversation with three participants to aconference control application in a third embodiment, in which themaster of the existing multi-participant conversation is called directlyby the conference room,

FIGS. 4a to 4c : each shows a schematic arrangement of logical unitsthat are applied to execute the invented method for transferring controlof an existing multi-participant conversation to a conference controlapplication in a fourth embodiment, in which the conference room iscalled directly by the master of the existing multi-participantconversation with three participants,

FIGS. 5a to 5c : each shows a schematic arrangement of logical unitsthat are applied to execute the method for transferring control of anexisting multi-participant conversation with three participants to aconference control application in a fifth embodiment, in which theconference room is switched directly into the existing data connection,

FIGS. 6a to 6c : each shows a schematic arrangement of logical unitsthat are applied to execute the invented method in a sixth embodiment,in which the conference room is switched directly into the existing dataconnection as in the fifth embodiment shown in FIGS. 5a to 5c , whereinin the sixth embodiment the conference room is incorporated into theexisting multi-participant conversation on a network,

FIGS. 7a and 7b : each shows a schematic arrangement of logical unitsthat are applied to execute the invented method in a seventh embodiment,in which the conference room is switched directly into the existing dataconnection as in the sixth embodiment shown in FIGS. 6a to 6c , whereina multi-node conference is set up after the conference room isincorporated into the existing multi-participant conversation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following, a conference control application is understood to meana program, in particular a computer program or software application,that allows a user to control a conference. The term “conference controlapplication” is shortened to the term “application” in the following,and any reference to an application other than the conference controlapplication will be identified as such. If the application is run on acomputer, it can combine voice signals from conference participants. Theapplication can be installed and/or run, in particular, on a personalcomputer (PC). Such a PC is also called a media server or applicationserver. In the following, in addition to a computer on which theapplication is installed, such as a media server or application server,the application itself is called a conference server. In this regard,the term “conference server” is used in the following to designate bothrunning the application in software form and also the hardware used torun it. As opposed to an application-controlled conference, which iscontrolled through the conference server, in a system conference theconference is controlled through the user interface of a communicationterminal, herein called a terminal. Control through the user interfaceof a terminal is not possible in the case of an application-controlledconference using the conference server, because the conference server isan independent component of the system that includes at least theconference server and the terminals used by the conference participantsduring the conference. The terminals participating in the conference canbe controlled using CTI (Computer Telephony Integration), a featuresupported by many telephone systems. While the CTI support in a systemconference is a 1:1 representation of the control from the terminal usedto control the system conference (via that terminal's user interface),the CTI support in an application-controlled conference does notrepresent the user interface of a terminal, but rather the conferenceserver itself.

The conference server is equipped to act as the server, receiving voicesignals from the conference participants' terminals and sending thecombined voice signals to the conference participants' terminals. Aparticipant's terminal can be a telephone, IP phone, or PC client, andother terminals are also possible, such as a mobile phone or anotherserver. At least three participants are involved in a conference,wherein one participant, for example the conference leader, does nothave to exchange data with another participant via voice or datatransfer during the conference. This means that a conversation betweentwo participants that is hosted by a conference leader is alsoconsidered a conference. A conference is understood to mean, inparticular, a telephone conference call in which the conferenceparticipants are not all in the same place and therefore cannotcommunicate with each other without electronic assistance. Instead, theparticipants communicate through the conference server, which combinesthe participants' voice signals so that a conference such as a telephoneconference call or video conference can take place. In a telephoneconference call, the participants communicate only by exchanging voicesignals, regardless of how the participants' voice signals aretransmitted. Therefore, either a telephone conference taking place on awired network or a telephone conference in which one or moreparticipants are communicating with each other via a mobile wirelessnetwork can be considered a telephone conference call.

A conference can also be in the form of a video conference, in which, inaddition to the exchange of participants' voice signals, participants'image signals are transmitted to other participants in real time. In thefollowing, however, a conference is also understood to includeapplication sharing, in which, in addition to the exchange ofparticipants' voice and image signals, other media are exchanged amongthe conference participants, such as data transmitted betweenparticipants. These data can be displayed either at the same time as theparticipants' voice and/or image signals or time-delayed behind thosesignals, on the screen of a PC for example. Because higher data speedsare required to transmit simultaneous voice and/or image and/or datasignals than for an ordinary telephone conference call in which only theparticipants' voice signals are sent, application sharing often involvesthe use of an intranet or the Internet as the transmission medium. Theconference server is usually connected through a network, such as anintranet or the Internet, to the conference participants' terminals. Inthis case, the voice and/or image and/or data signals are transmittedfrom one conference participant to another in the form of data packets.The transmission medium for the voice signals combined by the conferenceserver and sent during the conference can also be a standardcircuit-switched telecommunication switching system or a combination ofa circuit-switched network and a packet-switched network. Thetransmission protocol in a circuit-switched network can be, for example,ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), while for a packet-switchednetwork, for example, transmission protocol H.323, SIP (SessionInitiation Protocol) or TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/InternetProtocol) can be used.

The application can be provided in software form as OpenScape Office MXor OpenScape Office LX from Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH & Co.KG, for example. While OpenScape Office LX uses server-based UnifiedCommunications Software that can be operated on a Linux serverregardless of the platform, with OpenScape Office MX the application ispre-installed in a 19-inch housing as an all-in-one UnifiedCommunications solution with pre-installed software. The OpenScapeOffice MX can be used as a standalone system or as a gateway forOpenScape Office LX. An additional use of the conference controlapplication from the same manufacturer is called DACS (Digital Alarm andCommunication Server), in combination with a HiPath 3000, for example.With a DACS, telephone conferences with up to 60 participants can bedefined, scheduled, initiated, and controlled over the Internet.

These conference servers offer the advantage of having the applicationadd an additional participant automatically into an ongoing conference.It is also possible to apply a time limit, such as a maximum conferencelength. The maximum number of conference participants can be increasedby adding an additional participant. Compared to a system conference, itis easier to monitor users in an application-controlled conference witha conference server, because all conference participants can be seen ina “Conference Spider.” When another participant is added to theconference, the participants already in the conference remain in theexisting voice connection established for the conference, so that thereis no conference interruption for the conference participants due to acallback, as would occur with manual expansion of the conference insystem conference form. Our invention may also facilitatemultiparticipant conferences.

The new multi-participant conversation can be set up by having theconference server be connected through a so-called conference device orconference room as a virtual conference participant in the conversationto be set up. The conference room is then a virtual element of theconference, by which the conference, or specifically the conferencebridge, is expanded.

The conference room treats the communication terminals involved in theconference bridge like another communication terminal Because theconference room is not used primarily for exchanging voice and/or imagedata with the additional communication terminals in the conference, butinstead the application controls the conference, the conference room isalso designated as a virtual participant, i.e., a participant for whomthe conference was expanded. The conference room thereby fulfills thefunction of an anchor point for the conference control application. Theanchor point makes it possible for the application to engage in handlingthe conference system and thereby take control of the conference. Theconference room can represent the conference master, also called simplythe master, as the anchor point for the application. In the following,the master is considered to be the element to which the conferenceleader function, also called the master role, is assigned. The masterallows a (human) conference leader to assume the master role, i.e., theconference leader function. Because the conference room is controlled bythe application, the master is also controlled by the application thatis most used by the conference leader.

The conference server, which comprises the application in software form(OpenScape Office LX or MX) or the hardware on which the application isinstalled, then makes the conference room available or monitors theconference room, so that communication connections, also called Calls,are made successively by the conference server to each conferenceparticipant. The conference room can be monitored as an anchor point forthe application using CSTA (Computer-Supported TelecommunicationsApplications). CSTA is a protocol specification standardized by the ECMA(European Computer Manufacturers Association), which is used for datatraffic between a telephone system and computer programs. However, theCSTA protocol defines only the data to be transmitted, not the transportportion. For coding the data stream, Basic Encoding Rules (CSTA Phase I,II and III) and XML Encoding Rules (CSTA Phase III) are used. The CSTAprotocol can be carried via various media, such as serial, ISDN, orTCP-IP. Connecting the conference participant's communication terminalto the conference room can be controlled by authentication, so that onlythe communication terminals of authorized conference participants areconnected. After all conference participants' terminals are switched orconnected to the conference room, the new multi-participant conversationcan be controlled by the application, with the conference room as theanchor point for the application and as the conference master.

Because, in order to be incorporated into an application-controlledconference, an existing multi-participant conversation must be endedbefore the communication connections to the participants' terminals aremade successively by the conference server, the existingmulti-participant conversation can only be incorporated or convertedinto an application-controlled conference with a noticeable interruptionfor the participants in that conversation. To date it has not beenpossible to connect a conversation between two participants or a systemconference involving a multi-participant conversation into anapplication-controlled conference or to convert the system conferenceinto an application-controlled conference, without the participants inthe multi-participant conversation experiencing a noticeableinterruption in it. Because only one individual participant's terminalat a time can be switched quickly to a conference server, it is alsoimpossible, for example, to connect a conversation between twoparticipants with another conversation between two participants to makea conference with four participants without a noticeable interruptionfor the participants. A prerequisite for incorporating or converting amulti-participant conversation into an application-controlled conferencewithout a noticeable interruption of the participants in themulti-participant conversation is reducing the length of theinterruption in the multi-participant conversation that occurs whencontrol of the multi-participant conversation is transferred to theapplication. In this way, the time-consuming conversion of an existingmulti-participant conversation into an application-controlled conferencecould be accelerated. Converting a system conference into anapplication-controlled conference in practice is more important, becauseapplication-controlled conferences and system conferences can beassigned to different ranges of the available conference channels, anddifferent conversation control capabilities are available to theconference leader, also called the conference controller, if theconference leader is using the master role for the conference.

According to a method for transferring control of an existingmulti-participant conversation, in which at least two communicationterminals are connected to each other through a data connection, to aconference control application, a virtual conference room is set, whichcan be the anchor point for the application and a virtual participant inthe conference, the conference room is switched into the existing dataconnection, and a master role is assigned to the conference room,whereby signals from the application cause the conference room to beswitched into the existing data connection and the master role to beassigned to the conference room. The multi-participant conversation andthe application can be located on system levels within a unit or indifferent units. Setting up the conference room can include connectingthe application with the conference room.

Alternatively or additionally, the conference room can be set up by theapplication. Having the application send the signal for the conferenceroom to be switched into the data connection and assign the master roleto the conference room eliminates the previously complicated andtime-consuming manual task of ending the multi-participant conversationand then having the conference control application set up a newmulti-participant conversation with the participants from the endedmulti-participant conversation. With the invented method, transferringcontrol of the multi-participant conversation to the application is madeeasier. Because manually ending the multi-participant conversation iseliminated and control of the multi-participant conversation istransferred automatically when signaled by the application, transferringcontrol of the multi-participant conversation to the application happensso quickly that the transfer is almost or entirely interruption-free forthe participants in the multi-participant conversation, and so the basicobjective of the invention is achieved. If the multi-participantconversation is a system conference, an invented method is applied toconvert that system conference into an application-controlledconference, with a shorter interruption than the prior state of the art.After converting the system conference into an application-controlledconference, the application can use the invented method to add morepotential participants into the existing application-controlledconference.

In the same fashion, by applying an invented method, a multi-participantconversation between just two participants, also called a 2-wayconversation, can be converted to an application-controlledconversation, so that additional potential participants can be addedinto the application-controlled conversation.

An invented method also allows an application-controlled conference tobe incorporated or converted into another application-controlledconference, almost or entirely interruption-free for the participants. Atransfer of control of a multi-participant conversation to theapplication that is almost or entirely interruption-free for theparticipants is understood to be a transfer of control of themulti-participant conversation that takes place in less than one second.Although technically there is an interruption in control of themulti-participant conversation due to the transfer of that control tothe application, when the interruption due to transferring control ofthe multi-participant conversation lasts less than one second, thattechnical interruption is barely or not at all noticeable to theparticipants in that multi-participant conversation.

Switching the conference room into the existing data connection is alsoknown as conferring. Signaling the switching of the conference room intothe data connection and the assignment of the master role to theconference room can take place at the same time, which minimizes theinterruption in the multi-participant conversation. With simultaneousswitching of the conference room into the data connection and assignmentof the master role to the conference room, transferring control of themulti-participant conversation is a one-step action from a signaltechnology standpoint, since setting up the conference room causes nointerruption in the multi-participant conversation. The conference roomcan be an anchor point for the application, as described, for example,in ECMA Technical Report TR/82, 2^(nd) edition, June 2009. Theapplication can be located within the conference system or can be aseparate (logical) unit. By means of the signaling from the applicationthat switches the conference room into the data connection and assignsthe master role to the conference room, the conference room isincorporated into the existing multi-participant conversation with ashorter interruption because the conference room is fully functional asthe master of the conference.

Advantageously, the multi-participant conversation is such that at leastthree communication terminals are connected to each other. For such amulti-participant conversation, a conference, such as a systemconference, can be converted or incorporated into anapplication-controlled conference. After the system conference isincorporated or converted into the application-controlled conference,the advantages of a conference server are available to the conferenceleader of the previous system conference, with the simultaneous optionof using the application to add additional conference participants tothe existing multi-participant conversation. As opposed to a systemconference, the application-controlled conference offers the option ofincreasing the maximum number of participants in the multi-participantconversation.

In one embodiment, the master role is assigned to the conference room bytransferring the master role of the multi-participant conversationmaster from a communication terminal to the conference room. Bytransferring the master role of the multi-participant conversationmaster from a communication terminal that is being used for themulti-participant conversation to the conference room, control of themulti-participant conversation can be transferred quickly and easily tothe application. Transferring the master role of the multi-participantconversation master and assigning the master role to the conference roommay not apply in the case of a multi-participant conversation with onlytwo communication terminals having one participant each, because in a2-way conversation it is not necessary for a master role to berecognized by one of the communication terminals used by a participantin the multi-participant conversation.

Compared to the embodiments described above, the embodiment in which themulti-participant conversation takes the form of a system conference hasthe advantage that manual leadership control of the multi-participantconversation is handed over to the application, and therefore theapplication makes it possible to add additional potential participantsto the existing multi-participant conversation and/or to increase themaximum number of participants in the multi-participant conversation.This advantage is especially evident when, according to anotherembodiment, the system conference is incorporated or converted into anapplication-controlled conference.

Advantageously, system-controlled conference channels for the systemconference are changed to application-controlled channels for theconference control application. If the system requires separation of theavailable conference channels for system-controlled andapplication-controlled conferences (as is the case with OpenScapeOffice, for example), then changing the system-controlled conferencechannels to application-controlled conference channels maintains abalance between the two types of conferences and conference channels.

Before the conference room is switched into the existing dataconnection, the conference room is advantageously handed over to themulti-participant conversation master's communication terminal, usingthe service operation CorNet-NQ or QSIG Single Step Call Transfer.Handing the conference room over to the multi-participant conversationmaster's communication terminal, or transferring the conference room tothe multi-participant conversation master's communication terminal, isdone quickly and resource-efficiently using this service operation.

In another embodiment, before the conference room is switched into theexisting data connection, a call-waiting signal for the conference roomis generated at the multi-participant conversation master'scommunication terminal in less than one second. A call-waiting signal isgenerated in particular after a direct call from the conference room tothe multi-participant conversation master's communication terminal orafter the conference room is transferred to the multi-participantconversation master's communication terminal Current call-waiting eventsoccur after five seconds. With call-waiting signals that are generatedin less than one second, the interruption of the multi-participantconversation while control of the multi-participant conversation istransferred to the application is minimized. In this case, theinterruption of the multi-participant conversation is so short that itis barely or not at all noticed by the participants in themulti-participant conversation. The service operation CorNet-NQ or QSIGSingle Step Call Transfer is a CorNet-NQ or QSIG Facility Operation. Theuse of other operations or services with the same effect of transferringthe conference room to the multi-participant conversation master'scommunication terminal is possible.

Another embodiment involves switching the conference room into theexisting data connection using the service operation CSTA ServiceConference Call or the service operation CSTA Service Join Call. CSTAservices can be taken from the ECMA Guidelines 269, 8^(th) edition, June2009, for example. After the conference room has generated acall-waiting signal at the multi-participant master's communicationterminal, the conference room can be switched into the existing dataconnection using CSTA Service Conference Call, for example. With CSTAService Join Call, the conference room can be switched directly into theexisting data connection, and the master role of the conference room canbe assigned together with that switch. Direct switching of theconference room into the existing data connection is available inparticular in networked systems in which the conference room isincorporated from a network. Direct switching of the conference roominto the existing connection involves undocumented application of CSTAService Join Call and constitutes an expansion of the CSTA servicesaccording to Guideline ECMA-269.

Advantageously, after the conference control application is used toassign the master role to the conference room, additional communicationterminals are added into the multi-participant conversation with nodeoverlapping. For application-controlled conferences, as opposed to asystem conference, after assignment or conversion of the master rolefrom the multi-participant master's communication terminal, with theconference control application the conference room is able to addadditional participants into the existing multi-participant conversationwith node overlapping. Additional participants can be added orincorporated into the existing conversation through a local or remoteconference point. If the multi-participant conversation was run as asystem conference, the system conference becomes a user-friendlyapplication-controlled or application-directed conference that is almostor entirely interruption-free for the participants in the systemconference.

In another embodiment, the conference room in a source node of a networkin the existing data connection is switched into a target node of thenetwork, and a network trunk in the target node assumes the master roleas a proxy. The network comprises a source node, in which the conferenceroom is located, and a target node, in which the data connection islocated. Typically, the application is also located in the source nodetogether with the conference room. In addition, typically thecommunication terminals connected through the data connection arelocated together with the data connection in the target node of thenetwork. If a network trunk is now placed in the target node that isconnected to the communication terminals that are connected to eachother through the data connection, the network trunk, as a proxy, canassume the master role that was assigned to the conference room in thesource node after control of the multi-participant conversation wastransferred to the application. The network trunk functions here as ago-between, which on one side receives queries from the conference roomand then uses a connection to the communication terminals used in themulti-participant conversation through its own address as a point ofcommunication in the network. With the network trunk inserted as aproxy, the address of the conference room remains hidden from thecommunication terminals. On the other side, when other networks areadded, the network trunk makes a connection between the conference roomand the communication terminal, even when the (network) address of thecommunication terminal and the (network) address of the conference roomare incompatible with each other and a direct data connection is notpossible. Because the network trunk as a proxy plays only a go-betweenrole between the conference room and the communication terminals, themaster role remains in the conference room.

An advantageous embodiment involves using a service operation to switchthe conference room in a source node in the existing data connection toa target node via a single-system image in the source node. For example,the service operation CSTA Service Join Call can be used to switch theconference room in the existing data connection via the single-systemimage, with the appropriate middleware in the source node in which theconference room is located. In a single system image, multiple systems,for example multiple nodes, each representing an independent system, areseen outwardly as an individual system. The application therefore cannotknow in which node or system a service or service operation needs to beapplied. The middleware offers an interface to all systems, whereinapplications used to operate the systems register centrally on themiddleware. The control information transmitted via the CSTA ServiceJoin Call can then be forwarded on, for example, by an appropriateCorNet-NQ Facility Operation to the target node in which the existingdata connection is located. In this way, multi-participant node controlof a conference, also called multi-node control, can be established.According to the preceding embodiment, the master role in the local orremote multi-participant conversation, which can be run as a systemconference, can be assumed in the target node of the network trunk as aproxy.

The conference control application is advantageously run as a conferenceserver. According to the previous definition, the conference server isoperated either by software, as an application, or by hardware, as aserver. For example, the application can be run as a conference serveron a Linux server according to OpenScape Office LX.

The conference leader of the multi-participant conversation up to thatpoint, once the master role is assigned to the conference room, can runthe conference only via the conference server and no longer via the userinterface of his terminal, if the multi-participant conversation wasbeing run as a system conference.

In addition to the method for transferring control of an existingmulti-participant conversation to a conference control application, thisinvention also includes a computer program product for executing such amethod. The computer program product can consist of software, forexample. The computer program product can be stored as binary data on afloppy disk, DVD, CD-ROM, or memory card. The computer program productcan also consist of printed source code.

The invention also includes an application server on which the computerprogram product is installed. The application server can be a desktopPC, laptop, server in a 19-inch housing, or other type of hardware.

By switching the conference room into the existing data connection andassigning a master role to the conference room, the conference room isincorporated into the existing multi-participant conversation. Theconference room can be incorporated into the multi-participantconversation with no interruption or barely any interruption for theparticipants in the multi-participant conversation using a variety ofconfigurations, such as one node, multiple nodes, or multiple networks,and in one or more stages, for example via a CTI link or networkingprotocol. The desired configuration can therefore be combined withone-stage or multi-stage incorporation of the conference room into themulti-participant conversation. If multiple service operations are usedto incorporate the conference room into the multi-participantconversation, the system internally sequences the multiple serviceoperations so that the incorporation involves multiple stages or steps.

If only one service operation is used to incorporate the conference roominto the multi-participant conversation, then incorporating theconference room into the multi-participant conversation involves onlyone stage or step. Both one-stage and multi-stage incorporations of theconference room into the multi-participant conversation can be done withno interruption or barely any interruption for the participants in themulti-participant conversation. For example, the conference room can beincorporated into the multi-participant conversation in one stage usingCSTA Service Join Call. Alternatively, the conference room isincorporated into the multi-participant conversation in multiple stagesusing CorNet-NQ or QSIG Single Step Call Transfer combined with acall-waiting (camp-on) signal and CSTA Service Conference Call.

Additional exemplary embodiments and also advantages of the inventionwill be explained below with reference to the figures. For betterillustration, a scale or correct proportional representation is not usedin the figures.

FIG. 1a shows schematically an arrangement with a conference controlapplication KS and a conference room CR, wherein the conference controlapplication and the conference room are in the form of software in aconference server 1. Because the conference room CR is acting as a linkbetween the conference server and the multi-participant conversation tobe linked to it, the conference room is functioning as a logical outwardinterface of the conference server and is therefore not shown within theshaded rectangle that represents the conference server, but rather onthe edge of the shaded rectangle.

In FIG. 1b , the conference room is connected to or with the applicationwithin the conference server 1. Using logical connection 2 between theconference room CR and the application KS, the application KS is able tocontrol a multi-participant conversation linked to the conference roomCR. The logical connection 2 allows two-way data traffic of controldata, such as signaling data, from the conference room CR toward theapplication KS and from the application KS toward the conference roomCR. The logical connection 2 can be established as part of runningapplication KS or in a separate step after starting the application KS.

FIG. 1c shows, in addition to the logical units for the conference roomCR and the application KS, a multi-participant conversation with twoparticipants, wherein a first participant is conducting themulti-participant conversation 5 with a communication terminal D1 and asecond participant is conducting the multi-participant conversation 5with a communication terminal D2. Communication terminals D1 and D2 canbe, for example, a mobile telephone, a land-line telephone, a PC, a PDA(personal digital assistant), a tablet PC, or any other communicationdevice through which the participants in the multi-participantconversation can exchange voice and/or image data with each other,wherein the participants in the multi-participant conversation arelocated in different places, so that face-to-face communication betweenthe participants is not possible. The communication terminal D1 isconnected to the communication terminal D2 through a connection point 3and another connection point 4, wherein the connection points 3 and 4form a logical connection C1 between the communication terminal D1 andthe communication terminal D2 FIG. 1 c shows the method step ofswitching the conference room into the existing data connection C1 asthe arrow 9 from the conference room CR toward the existing dataconnection C1.

In FIG. 1d , the conference room CR is switched through the connectionpoint 6 into the existing data connection C1 between D1 and D2. Theexisting data connection C1 then includes the communication terminals D1and D2, as well as the conference room CR as virtual participants, sothat the data connection C1 then includes the data connection points 3,4, and 6. Because, unlike the communication terminals D1 and D2, theconference room CR has no participants in a multi-participantconversation or conference assigned to it who are exchanging voiceand/or image data with other participants, but instead the conferenceroom CR is used only as a virtual participant to control themulti-participant conversation or conference, the conference room is notdesignated as a participant's terminal but rather as a virtualparticipant in the multi-participant conversation or conference.

As an alternative to the connection point 6, with which the conferenceroom CR is switched directly into the existing data connection C1,including the connection points 3 and 4, it is also possible, instead ofthe connection point 6 from the conference room CR, to establish aconnection 7 to the communication terminal D1 and from the conferenceroom CR a connection 7′ to the communication terminal D2, such that theconference room needs the existing data connection C1 connected with thecommunication terminals D1 and D2. In this regard, switching theconference room into the existing data connection is understood to mean,among other things, a separate connection from the conference room toeach of the communication terminals D1 and D2 involved in themulti-participant conversation, wherein after establishing theconnection(s) from the conference room to the communication terminals D1and D2, signaling data can be transferred through the connection(s) tothe communication terminals D1 and D2.

FIG. 1d shows, with the arrow 8, schematically the method step throughwhich the conference room CR is assigned a master roll. In the case ofthe multi-participant conversation involving the communication terminalsD1 and D2, each of which is used by one of the two participants in themulti-participant conversation to conduct the multi-participantconversation 5, because there is no master role that would be necessaryfor conducting the multi-participant conversation 5, no master role forthe existing multi-participant conversation with a 2-way conversationcan be transferred to the conference room. Therefore, after switchingthe conference room CR into the existing data connection C1, a masterrole is assigned to the conference room CR. Alternatively, the masterrole can be assigned to the conference room CR at the same time as theconference room CR is switched into the existing data connection C1.Such a one-step or one-stage incorporation of the conference room intothe existing 2-way conversation is possible using the service operationCSTA Service Join Call, for example. In this one-step case ofincorporating the conference room CR into the existing data connectionC1, control of the existing multi-participant conversation 5 istransferred to the application KS with no interruption or barely anyinterruption for the participants in the existing multi-participantconversation; i.e., transferring control of the multi-participantconversation 5 to the application KS causes no interruption or a barelynoticeable interruption in the conversation between the participants inthe multi-participant conversation.

Alternatively, switching the conference room CR into the existing dataconnection C1 and assigning the master role to the conference room CRcan be done using the service operation CSTA Service Conference Call.Because, according to the schematic arrangement in FIG. 1d , afterswitching the conference room CR into the existing data connection C1,the conference room CR is incorporated into the multi-participantconversation as an additional (virtual) participant together with thetwo participants in the existing multi-participant conversation, aconference then exists that includes the conference room and theparticipants in the multi-participant conversation who are usingcommunication terminals D1 and D2, wherein this conference is controlledby the application KS.

FIG. 2a shows schematically an arrangement consisting of an existingmulti-participant conversation with three participants, who areconnected to each other through the existing data connection C2 usingcommunication terminals D1, D2, and D3 through connection points 10, 12,and 11. The conference server 1, in which the application KS isconnected with the conference room CR via connection 2, is linked to themulti-participant conversation 15, so the conference room CR istransferred or handed over to the master of the existingmulti-participant conversation 15, who is operating the communicationterminal D1. This process is shown schematically in FIG. 2a with thearrow 18.

In FIG. 2b , the conference room CR is connected to the communicationterminal D1, which is functioning as master of the multi-participantconversation 19, through the logical connection C3, including connectionpoints 13 and 14. The conference room CR is transferred or handed overto the master of the existing multi-participant conversation 15, locatedon the communication terminal D1, using the resource-efficient serviceoperation CorNet-NQ or QSIG Single Step Call Transfer, for example. TheCorNet-NQ or QSIG Facility Operation Single Step Call Transfer is usedto convey or transfer a communication terminal D1, D2, or D3 to theconference room CR. This causes an immediate call-waiting signal(camp-on) for the conference room CR in the communication terminal D1,to which the master role of the existing multi-participant conversation15 is assigned. Traditionally, a call-waiting signal begins after fiveseconds. With a call-waiting signal lasting five seconds, it is notpossible to transfer control of the multi-participant conversation 15 tothe application KS with no interruption or barely any interruption forthe participants of the multi-participant conversation 15, so thecall-waiting signal for the conference room CR at the communicationterminal D1 of the master of the multi-participant conversation 15occurs in less than one second.

After the conference room CR is transferred to the communicationterminal D1 as master of the multi-participant conversation 15 and anexisting data connection C3 has been established between the conferenceroom CR and the communication terminal D1, the conference room CR isswitched into the existing data connection C2 of the multi-participantconversation 15; this process is also called “conferring” and is shownschematically in FIG. 2b as arrow 19. The service operation CSTA ServiceConference Call, for example, can be used to switch the conference roomCR into the existing data connection C2.

After the conference room CR is switched into the existing dataconnection C2, the conference room CR is connected via the connectionpoint 16 to the existing data connection C2, which then includesconnection points 10, 11, 12, and 16, as shown in FIG. 2 c.

In FIG. 2d , as shown schematically by the arrow 20, the master rolethat was previously assumed by the communication terminal D1 is assignedto the conference room CR by transferring the master role from themulti-participant conversation 15. After the master role is assigned tothe conference room CR, the conference room CR is incorporated into themulti-participant conversation 15, which includes the communicationterminals D1, D2, and D3, as a virtual participant. After the conferenceroom is incorporated, the multi-participant conversation has fourparticipants: the participants using terminals D1, D2, and D3 and theconference room as a virtual participant. Using the service operationCSTA Service Conference Call, the conference room can be incorporatedinto the multi-participant conversation 15 in one step or one stage, byswitching the conference room into the existing data connection C2 andassigning the master role from the terminal D1 to the conference room.CSTA service operations, such as the service operation CSTA ServiceConference Call, are used here to control the conference, for example toinitiate, expand, or disconnect, i.e., terminate, communicationconnections.

Although control of the multi-participant conversation 15 can betransferred to the application KS, according to the second embodimentshown schematically in FIGS. 2a to 2d , in multiple steps or stages,because transferring the conference room CR to the terminal D1 as themaster of the existing multi-participant conversation 15 and switchingthe conference room into the existing data connection C2 with assignmentof the master role to the conference room are done in different steps,for example using CorNet-NQ or QSIG Single Step Call Transfer and CSTAService Conference Call, the interruption of the multi-participantconversation 15 caused by performing these steps can be so short for theparticipants in the multi-participant conversation that it is barely ornot at all noticed by the participants in the multi-participantconversation and is therefore considered entirely or almost interruptionfree for the participants in the multi-participant conversation. Inaddition, although multiple services are sequenced within the system,such as CorNet-NQ or QSIG Single Step Call Transfer and CSTA ConferenceCall, as part of the second embodiment according to FIGS. 2a to 2d ,sequencing these services or service operations is done entirely oralmost interruption-free for the participants in the multi-participantconversation.

Using CSTA Service Conference Call to switch the conference room CR intothe existing data connection C2 and transferring the master role to theconference room constitutes an expanded application of the serviceoperation CSTA Service Conference Call according to ECMA Guidelines 269,8th edition, June 2009. The service operation CSTA Service ConferenceCall is used here to initiate a conference or to add a participant intoan existing conference. In this way the conference room's connectionthrough data connection C3 on the communication terminal D1 istransferred to the conference room CR being connected in the existingdata connection C2, and therefore the conference room being connected toall terminals in the existing multi-participant conversation 15 (D1, D2,D3).

In the third embodiment shown schematically in FIG. 3a , the master,represented by the communication terminal D1, is called directly by theconference room CR. Here an immediate call-waiting signal is guaranteedfor the conference room on the communication terminal D1 as master ofthe existing multi-participant conversation in which the communicationterminals D1, D2, and D3 are connected to each other via the existingdata connection C2. The immediate call-waiting signal for the conferenceroom CR on the communication terminal D1 takes place in under onesecond. The successful direct call from the conference room CR to thecommunication terminal D1 as master of the existing multi-participantconversation is shown in FIG. 3a via the data connection C4 withconnection points 23, 24, through which the conference room is connectedto the communication terminal D1. After this first step or first stageof a direct call from the conference room CR to the communicationterminal D1, a second step or second stage involves switching theconference room CR into the existing data connection C2, as shownschematically by arrow 29 in FIG. 3a . The service operation CSTAService Conference Call can be used to switch the conference room CRinto the existing data connection C2.

After the conference room CR is switched into the existing dataconnection C2, the conference room CR is connected via the connectionpoint 26 to the communication terminals D1, D2, and D3 through theexisting data connection C2 with connection points 10, 11, and 12, asshown in FIG. 3b . Despite the sequencing of multiple services withinthe system, as part of the third embodiment of the invention shown inFIGS. 3a to 3c , the first service or first service operation for thedirect call from the conference room CR to the communication terminalD1, and for switching the conference room CR into the existing dataconnection C2 as the second service or second service operation, istransferring control of the existing multi-participant conversation withcommunication terminals D1, D2, and D3 to the application KS, withbarely any or no interruption for the participants in the existingmulti-participant conversation. As already stated, the conference roomCR can be switched into the existing data connection C2 by means of anexpanded application of the service operation CSTA Service ConferenceCall according to ECMA Guidelines 269, 8th edition, June 2009.

After the conference room CR is switched into the existing dataconnection C2 using connection point 26, the master role that wasassumed by the participant on communication terminal D1 is transferredto the conference room, as shown schematically with an arrow 30 in FIG.3c . The result is an application-controlled conference with a virtualparticipant in the form of the conference room CR and the threeparticipants on the communication terminals D1, D2, and D3. If themulti-participant conversation in which the terminals D1, D2, and D3 areconnected to each other is a system conference, transferring the masterrole from the communication terminal D1 to the conference room CRconverts the system conference into an application-controlledconference. This makes it possible for the master of theapplication-controlled conference to add additional participants intothe conference without manual expansion, so that the participantsalready in the conference can remain in the existing voice connectionC2.

Because manual expansion of the conference to add another participant,as is done in a system conference, is not necessary in anapplication-controlled conference, expanding the conference to addanother participant does not involve the conference interruption causedby the required call back to the participant being added. Instead, allparticipants, consisting of the conference room CR and the communicationterminals D1, D2, and D3, as well as any other participants to be added,are switched to the conference room, and the conference room takes overor “inherits” the conference master status from the communicationterminal D1. Transferring the master role from the communicationterminal D1 to the conference room CR is dependent upon theimplementation in the platform or dependent upon the capabilities of theapplication KS and of the conference server. For example, the conferenceleader up to that point can then operate the application-controlledconference only through the application KS and no longer through iscommunication terminal D1, with operating understood to mean expandingor closing, i.e., terminating, the conference. Because it is no longerpossible to operate the conference through the communication terminalD1, concurrent access to the conference, or, more precisely, to controlof the conference, is prevented, and the conference leader is then ableto access even conference participants on other nodes, or, moreprecisely, conference participants' communication terminals that areassigned to nodes other than that of the communication terminals in theexisting multi-participant conversation.

In the fourth embodiment of the invention, shown schematically in FIGS.4a to 4c , the conference room CR is switched directly into the existingconnection C2 by the master of the existing multi-participantconversation 15 using his communication terminal D1. The serviceoperation CSTA Service Single Step Conference Call can be used to switchthe conference room CR directly into the existing data connection C2, asshown schematically in FIG. 4a by the arrow 39. After the conferenceroom is switched directly into the existing data connection C2, theconference room CR is connected via the connection point 36 to theexisting data connection C2, which includes the additional connectionpoints 10, 11, and 12 and involves communication terminals D1, D2, andD3 (FIG. 4b ).

FIG. 4c shows the master role, which was assumed by the communicationterminal D1 in the existing multi-participant conversation 15,transferred to the conference room CR as shown schematically in case 40.An expanded application of CSTA Service Single Step Conference Callaccording to ECMA Guidelines 269, 8th edition, June 2009 can be used forthe procedural step of switching the conference room CR into theexisting data connection C2 and transferring the master role from thecommunication terminal D1 to the conference room CR, in one step or onestage. This one-step or one-stage incorporation of the conference roomCR into the existing multi-participant conversation 15 or the existingdata connection C2 of the multi-participant conversation 15 involves aninterruption that is so short that it is not noticeable to theparticipants in the existing multi-participant conversation 15.

FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c schematically show a fifth embodiment of theinvention, in which the conference room CR is switched directly into theexisting data connection C2 of the existing multi-participantconversation 15 involving communication terminals D1, D2, and D3. Unlikethe embodiment shown in FIGS. 4a to 4c , in this fifth embodiment theconference room is not switched directly into the existing dataconnection C2 by the master of the existing multi-participantconversation 15, but rather the conference room CR switches itself intothe existing data connection C2 upon the corresponding instruction fromthe application KS. This is shown in FIG. 5a , which schematically showsthe direct switching of the conference room into the existing dataconnection C2, by the arrow 49 pointing from the conference room CR tothe communication terminal D1. Instead, FIG. 4a shows the directswitching of the conference room CR into the existing data connection C2initiated through the communication terminal D1 of the master of theexisting multi-participant conversation 15, indicated by the arrow 39pointing from the communication terminal D1 toward the communicationroom CR.

Whereas in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4a to 4c the master of theexisting multi-participant conversation 15 initiates the directswitching of the conference room into the existing data connection C2,in the fifth embodiment shown in FIGS. 5a to 5c , the user of theapplication KS initiates the direct switching of the conference room CRinto the existing data connection C2. After the conference room CR isswitched into the existing data connection C2, the conference room CR,as shown in FIG. 5b , is switched through the connection point 46 intothe existing data connection C2 such that the existing multi-participantconversation can be controlled through the application KS and theconference room CR if the master role is transferred from thecommunication terminal D1 of the master of the current multi-participantconversation 15 to the conference room CR, as shown schematically inFIG. 5c by the arrow 50.

In a sixth embodiment shown in FIGS. 6a to 6c , compared to the fifthembodiment shown in FIGS. 5a to 5c , the conference room is switchedinto the existing data connection C2 as the result of an action of theuser of the application KS initiated via the connection point 56 (FIG.6b ), after the conference room CR is switched into the existing dataconnection C2, for example by service operation CSTA Service Join Call,as shown schematically by the arrow 59 in FIG. 6a . Corresponding to thetransfer of the master role from the existing multi-participantconversation 15 through the communication terminal D1 to the conferenceroom CR as in case 50 in FIG. 5c , this master role is transferred tothe conference room CR in FIG. 6c and assigned to the conference room CRas indicated schematically by the arrow 60. Unlike the fifth embodimentshown in FIGS. 5a to 5c , in the sixth embodiment according to FIGS. 6ato 6c the existing multi-participant conversation 15, involvingcommunication terminals D1, D2, and D3 that are connected to each otherthrough connection points 10, 11, and 12 on the existing data connectionC2, is assigned to a node KA

In addition, the application KS, which is connected to the conferenceroom CR through the connection 2, and the application server 1 on whichthe application KS is installed are assigned to another node KB. Bydirectly switching the conference room CR to the existing dataconnection C2, as shown schematically by the arrow 59 in FIG. 6a , andtransferring the master role from the communication terminal D1 to theconference room, as shown schematically by the arrow 60 in FIG. 6c , theconference room is incorporated from a network consisting of nodes KAand KB into the existing multi-participant conversation 15. Thisone-step or one-stage incorporation of the conference room CR into theexisting multi-participant conversation 15 by switching the conferenceroom CR into the existing data connection C2 and transferring the masterrole from the communication terminal D1 to the conference room CR can beaccomplished using the service operation CSTA Service Join Call. Thisapplication of the service operation CSTA Service Join Call for one-stepor one-stage incorporation of the conference room CR into an existingmulti-participant conversation 15 with transfer of control of theexisting multi-participant conversation to the application KS is anapplication of the CSTA Service Join Call that to date has not yet beendocumented according to Guidelines ECMA 269 for service operationsaccording to CSTA.

In another networked embodiment of the invented method for transferringcontrol of an existing multi-participant conversation to the applicationKS, FIGS. 7a and 7b show the incorporation of the conference room CRinto the existing multi-participant conversation 25 to create amulti-node conference. A multi-node conference is understood to be aconference in which multiple nodes are incorporated as network nodes onthe network into the conference that is being set up. FIG. 7a shows anode KC in which communication terminals D1, D2, and D3 are connected toeach other through connection points 10, 12, and 11 of the existing dataconnection C5 as part of an existing multi-participant conversation 25.

In addition, a network trunk T1 is incorporated into the existing dataconnection C5 through the connection point 61. The network trunk T1permits the collection of multiple transfer channels, in the form ofphysical wires or multiple frequency bands, to form a single logicalconnection that is individually visible to the operator of the networktrunk. Unlike the preceding embodiments of the invention in FIGS. 1 to6, in FIG. 7a the conference room CR, before it is incorporated into theexisting multi-participant conversation 25, is already a virtualparticipant in an application-controlled conference that includes theparticipants using communication terminals D4 and D5 as well as anyvirtual participants in the conference CR. Here the communicationterminals D4 and D5 are connected to the conference room CR through anexisting data connection C6 via the connection point 62. The existingdata connection C6 includes the additional connection points 63 and 64,wherein the connection point 63 connects a network trunk T4 to theconference room CR and the network trunk T4 is connected through theconnection point 67 to another network trunk T6, which in turn isconnected through connection points 71 and 72 in the existing dataconnection C8 to the communication terminal D5.

The network trunk T3 is connected through the connection point 64 andthe connection point 62 to the conference room CR, wherein the networktrunk T3 is connected through another connection point 68 to a networktrunk T5, which in turn is connected to the communication terminal D4through connection points 73 and 74 of the existing data connection C7.The connection points 67 and 68 create data connections between the nodeKE and the communication terminals D4 and D5 and from the network trunksT5 and T6 to the communication node KD, which includes the networktrunks T3 and T4 in addition to the application KS and the conferenceroom CR. In addition to the network trunks T3 and T4 of the node KD,this node includes another network trunk T2 that is connected to theconference room CR through the connection point 65 and the connectionpoint 62.

After the conference room CR is switched directly into the existing dataconnection C5, the conference room CR is switched through the networktrunks T1 and T2 into the existing multi-participant conversation 25that involves terminals D1, D2, and D3 and is connected to thoseterminals, as shown in FIG. 7b . After the master role is assigned tothe conference room CR, control instructions can be forwarded from theapplication KS by means of the master CR to the participants in theresulting application-controlled conference involving the communicationterminals D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5, via the connection point 66 throughwhich the network trunk T1 on the node KC is connected to the networktrunk T2 on the other node KD. In addition, after the conference room CRis incorporated into the existing multi-participant conversation 25 byswitching the conference room CR into the existing data connection C5and assigning the master role to the conference room CR, it is possibleto incorporate potential additional participants into the existingmulti-node conference involving nodes KC, KD, and KE.

In this regard, FIG. 7b shows another node KF on which a communicationterminal D6 and a network trunk T8 are connected to each other throughconnection points 76 and 77 on the existing data connection C9. Thenetwork trunk T8 is connected to the conference room CR on the node KDthrough another network trunk T7 on the network node KC via theconnection point 75, whereby the additional communication terminal D6 isincorporated into the existing application-controlled conferenceinvolving the communication terminals D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5 through theexisting data connection C9. The resulting application-controlledconference thus includes six communication terminals D1-D6 operated bythe various participants in the conference, and control of thisapplication-controlled conference is assumed by the application KS forcontrolling this conference through the conference room to which themaster role has been assigned.

In the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 7b , the node KD, with theapplication KS, which can be in the form of software on a conferenceserver such as OpenScape Office from Siemens Enterprise CommunicationsGmbH & Co. KG, can be designated as a source node. Unlike the sourcenode KD with the application KS and the conference room CR, the nodesKC, KE, and KF, which include the communication terminals D1, D2, D3(node KC), D4, D5 (node KE), and D6 (node KF), can be designated astarget nodes. The service operation CSTA Service Join Call for switchingthe conference room CR directly into the existing data connection C5 canbe applied to the source node KD via a so-called single system image,through which multiple nodes, each constituting a separate system,appear outwardly as a single system, such that the application KSdoesn't need to know in which of the nodes KC, KD, KE, and KF a serviceoperation, also called a service, has to be implemented (this knowledgeis contained in so-called middleware MW), using middleware MWappropriate for the single system image (see arrow 70 in FIG. 7b ). Thiscontrol information can be forwarded, for example, by a suitableCorNet-NQ Facility Service Operation to the target nodes KC, KE, and KF,allowing multi-node control of the application-controlled conference. Inthe target nodes KC, KE, and KF, each of the respective network trunksT1 (node KC), T5, T6 (node KE), and T8 (node KF) can assume the masterrole as a proxy in the local multi-participant conversation. This allowsthe network trunk T1 to assume the master role as a proxy for theexisting multi-participant conversation D1, D2, D3 in the network nodeKC. If the multi-participant conversation 25 is a system conference, thenetwork trunk T1 assumes the master role as a proxy in the local systemconference occurring in the network node KC, wherein, by incorporatingthe conference room CR into this system conference, the network trunk T1runs this former system conference as an application-controlledconference with the conference room CR as master. Although the masterroll has to be processed again by transferring it from the existingmulti-participant conversation 25 to the conference room CR in order toassign the master role to the conference room CR, it is not necessary toassign the master role to the conference room CR for a multi-participantconversation with only two participants, as shown in FIG. 1c for themulti-participant conversation 5. The network trunk T1 assumes themaster role in the (former) system conference, in which format themulti-participant conversation 25 is conducted, only as a proxy, whilethe master role remains assigned to the conference room CR.

The features of the invention described in relation to the embodimentspresented, such as the middleware MW in FIG. 7b , multiple existing dataconnections C5, C6, C7, C8, and C9 of an application-controlledconference after transferring the master role to the conference room CR,or the availability of an application-controlled conference CR throughthe application KS before control of an existing multi-participantconversation 25 is transferred to the application KS, can also beapplied to other embodiments of the invention, unless stated otherwiseor prevented for technical reasons.

The incorporation of a conference room into an existingmulti-participant conversation, with little or no interruption for theparticipants of the existing multi-participant conversation according tothe invention, by means of which control of the existingmulti-participant conversation is transferred to a conference controlapplication with a shorter interruption than the prior state of the art,makes it possible for the leader of the conference to transfer manualcontrol of a multi-participant conversation in the form of a systemconference to an application that creates an application-controlledconference, without any loss of time.

By giving control of the multi-participant conversation to theapplication, the conference leader can take advantage of theapplication's advantages, such as the ability to expand the existingmulti-participant conversation at the same time using the application.In addition, the invented method makes it possible to increase themaximum number of participants in a multi-participant conversation, aspart of the application-controlled conference resulting fromtransferring control of the multi-participant conversation to theapplication. This gives the following new features to conference controlapplications, which are used to execute the invented method:

-   -   improved user control,    -   optimized initiation of the conference,    -   faster establishment of the conversation, with little or no        interruption for the conference participants,    -   easier conversation management, and    -   easier increasing of the number of conference participants.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for transferring control of an existingmulti-participant conversation, in which at least two communicationterminals are connected to each other through a data connection, to aconference control application, comprising: creating of a virtualconference room that serves as an anchor point for a multi-participantconversation in which at least two communication terminals areconnectable to each other through a data connection; switching thevirtual conference room into the data connection and assigning a masterrole to the virtual conference room such that the master role isassigned to the conference room by transferring the master role of themulti-participant conversation from one of the communication terminalsto the virtual conference room via a signal generated by the system inconnection with switching of the conference room into the dataconnection.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least threecommunication terminals are connected to each other in the conversation.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the master role of themulti-participant conversation from one of the communication terminalsto the virtual conference room occurs substantially simultaneously withthe switching of the conference room into the data connection.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the switching of the virtual conference roominto the data connection and the assignment of the master role to theconference room occurs via a signal generated by the application thatcauses a switching device to perform the switching of the conferenceroom into the data connection and the assignment of the master role tothe conference room.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the switching ofthe virtual conference room into the data connection and the assignmentof the master role to the conference room occurs via a signal generatedby a switching device running the application or communicativelyconnected to a device running the application.
 6. The method of claim 1,comprising, before switching the virtual conference room into theexisting data connection, handing over the conference room to thecommunication terminal assigned the role of master of themulti-participant conversation using a service operation selected fromthe group consisting of CorNet-NQ and QSIG Single Step Call Transfer. 7.The method of claim 1, comprising before the virtual conference room isswitched into the existing data connection, sending a call-waitingsignal for the virtual conference room to the communication terminal ofthe multi-participant conversation that was assigned a master role forthe multi-participant conversation in under one second.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the virtual conference room is switched into theexisting data connection using a service operation selected from thegroup consisting of CSTA Service Conference Call and CSTA Service JoinCall.
 9. The method of claim 1, comprising after assigning the masterrole to the virtual conference room, adding additional communicationterminals into the multi-participant conversation with node overlapping.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-participant conversation isa conference call or a video conference call.
 11. The method of claim 1,comprising: after the master role is assigned to the virtual conferenceroom and after the virtual conference room is switched into the dataconnection, incorporating, by the conference room, additionalparticipants into the existing multi-participant conference; and whereina trunk is assigned as a proxy to the conference room so that an addressof the conference room remains hidden from the communication terminalsof the multi-participant conference.
 12. The method of claim 1, whereinthe switching of the virtual conference room into the data connectioncomprises: transferring or handing over the virtual conference room tothe communication terminal of the existing multi-participantconversation initially assigned the master role; generating acall-waiting signal for the virtual conference room in the communicationterminal of the existing multi-participant conversation initiallyassigned the master role, the call-waiting signal occurring in less thanone second after the transferring or handing over of the virtualconference room; and switching the virtual conference room into the dataconnection after the transferring or handling over of the virtualconference room to connect the virtual conference room to all thecommunication terminals of the multi-participant conversation.
 13. Acomputer-readable non-transitory storage media having executable codestored thereon that defines a method that is performed when the code isexecuted by a conference system device, the method comprising: creatingof a virtual conference room that serves as an anchor point for amulti-participant conversation in which at least two communicationterminals are connectable to each other through a data connection;switching the virtual conference room into the data connection andassigning a master role to the virtual conference room such that themaster role is assigned to the conference room by transferring themaster role of the multi-participant conversation from one of thecommunication terminals to the virtual conference room via a signalgenerated by the system in connection with switching of the conferenceroom into the data connection.
 14. The computer-readable non-transitorystorage media of claim 13, wherein a signal is generated to cause theswitching of the virtual conference room into the data connection andthe assignment of the master role to the conference room.
 15. Thecomputer-readable non-transitory storage media of claim 13, wherein themaster role is assigned to the virtual conference room by transferringthe master role of the multi-participant conversation from one of thecommunication terminals to the virtual conference room simultaneouslywith the switching of the conference room into the data connection. 16.The computer-readable non-transitory storage media of claim 15, whereinthe transferring of the master role and the switching of the virtualconference room is initiated via a signal generated by the application.17. The computer-readable non-transitory storage media of claim 13, themethod also comprising: before the virtual conference room is switchedinto the existing data connection, sending a call-waiting signal for thevirtual conference room to the communication terminal of themulti-participant conversation that was assigned a master role for themulti-participant conversation in under one second.
 18. Thecomputer-readable non-transitory storage media of claim 13, wherein themulti-participant conversation is a conference call or a videoconference call.
 19. A conference system comprising: a computer-readablenon-transitory storage media and a processor; the conference systemconfigured to create a virtual conference room that serves as an anchorpoint for a multi-participant conversation in which at least twocommunication terminals are connectable to each other through a dataconnection; the conference system configured to switch the conferenceroom into the data connection and assign a master role to the conferenceroom such that the master role is assigned to the conference room bytransferring the master role of the multi-participant conversation fromone of the communication terminals to the virtual conference room via asignal generated by the system in connection with switching of theconference room into the data connection.
 20. The conference system ofclaim 19, wherein the multi-participant conversation is a conferencecall or a video conference call; and the conference system is configuredto switch the virtual conference room into the data connection by:transferring or handing over the virtual conference room to thecommunication terminal of the existing multi-participant conversationinitially assigned the master role; generating a call-waiting signal forthe virtual conference room in the communication terminal of theexisting multi-participant conversation initially assigned the masterrole, the call-waiting signal occurring in less than one second afterthe transferring or handing over of the virtual conference room; andswitching the virtual conference room into the data connection after thetransferring or handling over of the virtual conference room to connectthe virtual conference room to all the communication terminals of themulti-participant conversation.